Every Reason We Shouldn't by Sara Fujimura

Mar 27, 2020 chan ☆ added it

Shelves: ya-contemporary, 2020, dnf

dnf @20%

cute but not what i'm in the mood for at the moment tbh. YA contemporaries are pretty hit or miss for me anyway ...more

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Feb 16, 2020 M. (Inside My Library Mind) rated it did not like it

More reviews up on my blog Inside My Library Mind

First of all, I really did not enjoy the characters. Olivia and Jonah did nothing for me. I found them to be really flat characters, and moreover, I couldn’t quite comprehend any of their struggles or issues, because none of them really made sense. Moreover, Olivia was pretty much awful at times. For example, when her best friend was explaining how she would love to go back and do high school differently, Olivia said something along the lines o ...more

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Feb 17, 2020 The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle, young-adult, arc, netgalley, 2020-releases

Full Review on The Candid Cover

3.5 Stars

Every Reason We Shouldn’t by Sara Fujimura seemed like the perfect book for me since I am a big fan of any story about skating. While I did enjoy this concept, I had many issues with the book, including the immature main character and the lack of discussion around the sensitive topics presented. I didn’t hate this book, but it was not what I was expecting.

❀ A SKATING STORY

This book tells the story of Olivia, a figure skater adjusting to life outside the ri Full Review on The Candid Cover

3.5 Stars

Every Reason We Shouldn’t by Sara Fujimura seemed like the perfect book for me since I am a big fan of any story about skating. While I did enjoy this concept, I had many issues with the book, including the immature main character and the lack of discussion around the sensitive topics presented. I didn’t hate this book, but it was not what I was expecting.

❀ A SKATING STORY

This book tells the story of Olivia, a figure skater adjusting to life outside the rink and trying to save her family’s business. When speed skater Jonah Choi starts training at her family’s rink, Olivia finds herself falling for him. I love any book about skating, and it was nice to see two different types of skating (as well as roller derby) represented in the book. I also found it interesting how the story talks about being “washed up” at 15 and the difficulties that come with coming back to sports after taking a break. This adds some depth to the book and makes it more than just a romance.

❀ MAIN CHARACTER IS IMMATURE

One of my biggest issues with the book was the main character. I found Olivia to be selfish and immature, and she almost disregards the problems in everyone else’s life and sees her own as more important. I did like how passionate she is about skating and how she perseveres to get her dream back, but I couldn’t get past how whiny she is. Jonah is not as annoying as Olivia, but the two of them have this whole “we aren’t like everyone else” mentality, and the way they isolate themselves is a bit elitist and off-putting.

❀ SERIOUS TOPICS AREN’T HANDLED WELL

Another aspect of the book that I didn’t love was the writing itself. While I did appreciate the discussion of more serious topics, I feel that there are a couple of topics that are not handled properly. For instance, there is a school lockdown scene that comes across as an excuse for Jonah to say “I love you” for the first time. It is an incredibly sensitive topic and clearly disturbing for Olivia, but it is never brought up again or truly unpacked. As well, the main characters’ unhealthy relationship with food is never really commented on, and this could be triggering to some readers. Along with these jarring moments, I also had issues with the way the characters speak. It comes across as though the author is trying way too hard to sound like a teenager with her excessive use of slang like, “extra” and “that’s the tea, sis.” I appreciate the effort to relate to a younger audience, but in this case, it went overboard.

❀ A FANTASTIC PREMISE, BUT A BIT UNSATISFYING

Every Reason We Shouldn’t has a fantastic premise, but other than that, much of the book didn’t satisfy me. The main character is selfish, and sensitive topics are not handled as well they should be. In my eyes, I definitely don’t think this book needs a sequel. ...more

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May 30, 2020 Paula M rated it liked it

Shelves: for-review, arc

for more reviews and to see the playlist forthis book, please visit Her Book Thoughts!

If you’re looking for a teen romance with no unnecessary drama and angst, I would recommend Every Reason We Shouldn’t to you. The warning or disclaimer of this books really delivered, it did include delightful banter, sports and all the feels.

The story centers around figure skater Olivia, who at a very young age already won gold for being a fantastic athlete. Olivia is biracial, very young, ambitious with an au for more reviews and to see the playlist forthis book, please visit Her Book Thoughts!

If you’re looking for a teen romance with no unnecessary drama and angst, I would recommend Every Reason We Shouldn’t to you. The warning or disclaimer of this books really delivered, it did include delightful banter, sports and all the feels.

The story centers around figure skater Olivia, who at a very young age already won gold for being a fantastic athlete. Olivia is biracial, very young, ambitious with an authentic teenage voice. She is the daughter of two highly known figure skater which also gave her some sort of pressure to exceed as an athlete. Let me just start by saying Liv doesn’t hate her parents, she just feels what every other teenagers would feel towards their parents. In short, she was being a teenager. This is what I liked most about her character, her voice are real. I also adore our “love interest” Jonah, an oppa to love (as Mack would say) Unlike a normal teenage boy though, Jonah doesn’t really have that rebellion phase going on. He doesn’t have time for that because like Olivia, Jonah is an athlete too. A hard-working one I might add. It's such a refreshing thing to read about the thought process of an athlete who juggles with peer pressure while keeping up with their social life or as Olivia would say, a normal life. But if you're gonna ask me who my favorite character is though, I'll 100% say its Mack. This girl deserves her own book. She's the most interesting supporting character I've read in a while. I really had no major issues with the characters.

Jonah and Olivia are biracial. This fact is really one of the reason why I was excited to read the book (along with that cute cover) and although it did deliver, I expected more. I feel like it focused on the sports which I'm not complaining about, but there was a lack of information or aspect that I though would be shown throughout the story. I didn't feel the #OwnVoice enough and I would say that there was a lot of opportunity to explore that. Another thing, there was a scene (or chapters) of the book that I feel wasn't needed. It just turned out rushed and unnecessary.

Like I mentioned, skating is such a huge part of this book. I have no idea or background when it comes to roller skate derby or figure skating at all so that aspect was really interesting to me. For me, Olivias determination, fear and motivation towards her sports were penned perfectly by the author. I can say the same thing with Jonah's storyline and even with their parents too. It was fun learning and going through the ups and downs of their social and athlete life. The romance wasn't a big deal for me although it was there. I have one word for it: CUTE. I know some of you may say that you're too old already for this kind of teen romance, but it will still give you the feels (if you need more reason to read the book)

Overall, I recommend Every Reason We Shouldn't if you're looking for a light read with a heavy sports plot line. Spend some on the rink and get to know more about skating through Olivia's eyes. ...more

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Mar 31, 2020 Kathryn Speckels (Metaphors and Miscellanea) rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs

Reeeeally mixed feelings on this one. Full review coming soon, but here are my initial thoughts:

It was cute, but had quite a few flaws as well. Props for diverse rep but it isn't really ownvoices (the author is white, her kids are biracial, she wrote this book so that kids like hers can see themselves represented) and it didnt always come across as authentic, but I did love Mack, a secondary character who was valedictorian of her high school but ended up a teen mom shortly thereafter. There's a ...more

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Feb 17, 2020 USOM rated it liked it

(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

I was initially drawn to Every Reason We Shouldn't for a few reasons. Number one, skating. Ever since "Cutting Edge" I will read anything ice skating focused and this certainly fills a niche. That being said, there isn't that same romantic, will-they-won't-they as in that film and there aren't pair competitions so just know that the only comp between those is that there are just two (Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

I was initially drawn to Every Reason We Shouldn't for a few reasons. Number one, skating. Ever since "Cutting Edge" I will read anything ice skating focused and this certainly fills a niche. That being said, there isn't that same romantic, will-they-won't-they as in that film and there aren't pair competitions so just know that the only comp between those is that there are just two characters who are skating professionals (speed skating and pairs figure skating).

Number two, I thought this was going to be an ownvoices biracial/Asian rep situation. You can say I should have done more research before reading, but only when I sat down to write this review did I find out that it is not ownvoices rep. Instead it is written from the perspective of, presumably a white, woman who married a Japanese partner with biracial children. She wanted to write the rep that her children wish they saw. I also want to say I am not a biracial Asian American so I also do not have an ownvoices perspective <.b>

Let's start with what I liked about Every Reason We Shouldn't. The scenes on the ice were great. I loved that it gives you a skating scene whether that be the competition or the feeling of being free on the ice. I ice skate for fun, but I have loved that feeling of weightlessness, of gliding. Secondly, I liked that both Jonah and Olivia are handling this life of being an aspiring professional - training all the time and intensely goal oriented - but also what a 'teenage' experience might be. I loved the side character of Mack. She's a single mother who loves roller derby and wants to join a team.

But,

I feel like the summary makes it seem like there will be this long drawn out angst - sort of "Cutting Edge" vibes - and if you were prepared for that, then just re-evaluate your expectations. I also felt like the latter half of Every Reason We Shouldn't sort of felt loosely connected. The pacing took a different turn, but it also felt like all these elements and events were introduced which were never fully resolved.With two aspiring professionals, or even just two people in any relationship, you can encounter one person thinking their career might be more important. I think this is such a great point to bring up, especially with two athletes (and something I've struggled a lot with in the past), but I just wish there was a more satisfying resolution.

The Rep

I want to make this very clear, I am not biracial so I cannot speak to the accuracy of the representation. I couldn't find an ownvoices review to cite either. Definitely go into Every Reason We Shouldn't, knowing it's not ownvoices representation. I do want to mention that in terms of representation, Olivia and Jonah's biracial/multi-racial identity is brought up quite a lot. It's been a bit since I read the book, but as someone who's life has been deeply touched as being Asian, I do not have any real notes about the ways their identity was mentioned in a deep way. By that I mean, in Our Wayward Fate Chao talks a lot about growing up in the minority and what it means about the jokes people make, the ways we self-erase and internalize. The deep and profound ways our experience is changed. And I cannot remember any ways in which this was mentioned in Every Reason We Shouldn't. I didn't just finish so I want to apologize in advance if I've missed something as I'm so behind on reviews.

I also want to make it clear that I am not saying that all books which feature POC characters have to be books that revolve solely around their identity or are "issue" books, I just wanted to give a comparison to some other books I have read. We deserve fun fluffy contemporary romances, messy characters, questions on every level.

As someone who has struggled to find representation in books and the YA sphere specifically as a transracial adoptee, I know how hard it is. I am in no way trying to invalidate Fujimara's desire to write representation that would have helped her children growing up or feel represented in the YA sphere. I also deeply identify with the struggle finding Asian representation. I just wanted to make sure other readers did not go into this thinking that it would be ownvoices like I did.

full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi... ...more

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Mar 09, 2020 Ahana M Rao (Heart’s Content) rated it really liked it

Shelves: made-me-cry, young-adult, romance, edelweiss, tbr-arcs, arcs, broke-my-heart, netgally-arcs

You can find this review of Every Reason We Shouldn't on my blog, Heart's Content!

Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from the publisher, Tor Teen, via Edelweiss+ and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Every Reason We Shouldn’t is a very special book, because it addresses a variety of issues and all of them manage to stir emotions in you and have you connect to the protagonists. I loved seeing Japanese and Korean culture and I was squealing at all the parts that I recognised ( You can find this review of Every Reason We Shouldn't on my blog, Heart's Content!

Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from the publisher, Tor Teen, via Edelweiss+ and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Every Reason We Shouldn’t is a very special book, because it addresses a variety of issues and all of them manage to stir emotions in you and have you connect to the protagonists. I loved seeing Japanese and Korean culture and I was squealing at all the parts that I recognised (*looking at you KDrama*) and just joyous to see asian rep.

Olivia is a very very lovely protagonist and I think for a fifteen year old, she handled situations much better at her age than I would in some of those same situations at my age. She was … alone in many ways and a lot of her very genuine problems she had to come to terms with on her own (due to circumstance) and my heart truly broke for her during those moments. I felt for her, I really did. I also love that she cut her hair, fierce pixie style. Jonah was a real darling. I honestly expected to see a mildly conceited hero, because of all that he’d achieved and at such a young age. But he wasn’t. He was just a normal boy, who put it a lot of effort into what he loved and was finally living–even if only a little–the life of a teenage boy. I did love seeing the relationship he had with his parents and how it wasn’t messed up like I’d expected it to be, given that his father was a large part of his athletic career. Added to this, I loved how Jonah and Olivia had their own balance, how understanding they were of one another’s situations and had their own little world–all of which doesn’t take away from the small hiccups in their relationship.

Mack. My heart really went out to Mack, no doubt. Of all the characters, I think perhaps she was my utter and absolute favourite. Not only does she already have a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, she’s also always always there for Olivia. So much so, that Olivia looks to Mack in times of trouble. But at the same time, Mack’s shown as being very human, with her own moments of short-temperedness, loss and weakness. I really do hope we see her story next. Stuart, fondly referred to as Egg (I have to say that nickname was ingenious) was a very interesting character and … I can’t place it exactly, but I’m not sure if I like him or not, I just know I had lots to take away from him.

My only issue with the book was pertaining to the first thing I said. The fact that it handles so very many things renders it incapable of handling everything well. Sometimes, some of the things have to be smoothed over a little too easily or handled very very swiftly to fit everything in. Because of the importance of each topic, I felt like I wanted to see the issues being solved; no, I needed to see it being solved because so much of Olivia’s pain, I have felt too and so there was that little bit of unfulfillment that I experienced. But did that take away from how much I sniffled through the book? Nope-sie-daisey.

Four stars! I would definitely definitely definitely recommend ERWS with all my heart. Sara *finger hearts all the way to you*. Though I will warn you, yes, there’s humour, but there’s a lot of emotion in this book. ❤ Happy reading! ...more

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May 28, 2020 chloe ♡ rated it liked it

Shelves: asian-rep, i-own, review-copy, 2020-read, blog-tours, diverse

i received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. all opinions below are my own.

3.5 stars

every reason we shouldn’t is an adorable novel about ice skating, love, dreams and family. if i were to rate this book solely in terms of enjoyment, i would have given it a higher rating. i liked the story, but i felt that some parts could be changed to make it even better.

i have never participated in sports competitively, and have only done a little bit of figure skating for fun when i i received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. all opinions below are my own.

3.5 stars

every reason we shouldn’t is an adorable novel about ice skating, love, dreams and family. if i were to rate this book solely in terms of enjoyment, i would have given it a higher rating. i liked the story, but i felt that some parts could be changed to make it even better.

i have never participated in sports competitively, and have only done a little bit of figure skating for fun when i was younger, so olivia’s story and perspective are both pretty new to me – her parents are former olympians, she’s an aspiring olympic figure skater, her boyfriend speed skates competitively, and her family runs an ice rink. reading this book gave me a glimpse into the lives of professional athletes (especially skaters, whose olympic performances i’ve always enjoyed watching) and how devoted they are to their training – olivia and jonah both have incredibly strong work ethic, and i really admired how they spend hours and hours practising, rewatching their own videos, and gritting their teeth through excruciating muscle pain, just so they can get better at skating. as much as i liked their dedication, though, there were some parts that really bothered me. at school, olivia and jonah act obnoxious and stuck-up, and whenever their friends ask them about “normal” things out of concern, they simply dismiss it, always saying something along the lines of “oh, you wouldn’t understand” and “we’re not like other people”. this annoyed me to no end!

as for the food, the characters in this novel all seem to have a habit of gifting sweets and desserts to each other, and that is honestly the sweetest thing ever (both literally and figuratively). i especially liked the parts where brandon brings treats to the lunch table to cheer his friends up, and that reminded me of how some of my own friends would sometimes bring homemade cookies for everyone. jonah and olivia also gift each other desserts from their own culture, which is so heartwarming and wholesome! However, there are, again, some parts that can definitely be handled better. olivia and jonah both seem to have some issues with food which are left unaddressed in the book. olivia throws away the cookies her friend makes for her, just because she is trying to fit into the skating costume she used to wear, and jonah often complains about “simple carbs” and refuses almost everything that has carbs in it. i don’t know if it’s a skater or athlete thing, but to me this seemed unhealthy and problematic.

to sum up, every reason we shouldn’t definitely has its flaws, but it’s a cute, fun book with a lot of potential and great ideas (i.e. i have very mixed feelings), which i hope will be further explored in its sequel. ...more

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Jan 22, 2020 Erin marked it as dnf

Shelves: netgalley

I wanted to give this a solid effort but the writing is just so juvenile and tries too hard to be hip. I can't read a book that uses the phrase 'awko-taco' in its prose.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Dec 20, 2019 liberty rated it liked it

I received an ARC of this on Net Galley, and was beyond excited to read it.

This book is about our main character, Olivia, and her journey finding herself on the ice again. She finds love on the way, and strengthens bonds with her family and friends.

While I love the premise of this, there were a few things that didn't work.
For one, this is not how teenagers talk. I know that the author definitely tried, and even used the phrase "that't the tea, sis," but a lot of the dialogue didn't work for me ...more

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Aug 20, 2020 Lou (Lou and Life) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: worst-books-2020, contemporary, ebooks, read-2020, disappointing, romance, coming-of-age

Book provided to me by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book because I thought that it was a book by an Asian author and I wanted to read it and help promote it. It's not. I feel a bit like I have been catfished into thinking that this would be an own voices book, when in reality it's written by a white woman whose married a Japanese man. Before I list the points as to why this is bad representation and how I felt about it as a biracial Asian, I do wan ...more

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Mar 22, 2020 Joanna Bennett rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-reads

Rating: 3.5

I’m glad that I went into this one with lower expectations thanks to a few of the reviews I had read beforehand. Even though I knew the romance wasn’t going to totally work for me, the cover kept calling my name. Light blue covers are my favorite. So, I did it anyways!

When it came to the characters, yay for multicultural! Olivia and Jonah aren’t the greatest characters when it comes to development for me but I liked the diversity they brought to the table. I also enjoyed Granny Macint ...more

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May 18, 2020 Melissa (YA Book Shelf) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I’m big into sports romances, so Every Reason We Shouldn’t appealed to me in a big way. Not only do I love skating and hockey stories, but since Jonah Choi is a long track speed skater it made for an interesting change of pace in the genre. Add in the fact that Olivia Kennedy is a biracial, Japanese-American teen, who was a gold medalist in pairs skating at the junior level, but who has crashed and burned at the senior division, and Jonah is a 3/4 Korean who has the drive and talent to make it t I’m big into sports romances, so Every Reason We Shouldn’t appealed to me in a big way. Not only do I love skating and hockey stories, but since Jonah Choi is a long track speed skater it made for an interesting change of pace in the genre. Add in the fact that Olivia Kennedy is a biracial, Japanese-American teen, who was a gold medalist in pairs skating at the junior level, but who has crashed and burned at the senior division, and Jonah is a 3/4 Korean who has the drive and talent to make it to the Olympics some day, and I knew it had the makings of a good book.

Personally, I don’t think the title is great. Yes, there is some rivalry from Olivia’s side, mostly of the jealous kind, but this isn’t a book in which either a big part of the plot is driven by specific reasons that would keep them apart as a couple or where they have tension or discussion surrounding reasons that keep them apart. If you’re looking for that kind of thing, you’ll be disappointed. Rather, Olivia is drawn to Jonah from the first moment she sees him, and super impressed by his ability. They also always end up as the last two together at the lunch table at school and they make promises to skate together when possible. As the novel goes on, and Olivia attempts to get back into pairs skating training with her partner, Egg, and is struggling just like she had at Skate Detroit, she starts to feel more jealousy toward Jonah and he occasionally says something dumb, like “I didn’t think you were that good,” but this doesn’t stop them from getting together in the first place, which is what the title implies.

Overall, I thought this was a cute romance where both characters, because Olivia understands what competitive skating involves, have realistic expectations of what the relationship can involve. If anything, it is their school friends who attempt to cause drama in that regard when, especially the girls, ask Olivia if she’s upset that Jonah didn’t give her a flower for flower day or say that they have to go to the winter formal, even though Jonah has a competition out of town that weekend and Olivia has to practice with Egg for his audition tape for Olympians on Ice. A previous review suggested that there was an issue with Olivia and Jonah who saw themselves as “Elite” vs their normal, non-athlete friends, but honestly, this camaraderie is because they understand what an Olympic dream entails. Moreover, a lot of the tension came from their normal friends who were so focused on school, studying for the PSAT, volunteering, etc just to stand out on their college applications that they suggested Jonah might be stupid because he had different priorities than studying and that getting a GED to succeed in speed skating, like Jonah wishes he could do if his parents allowed him, is unthinkable to them. In other words the “we’re better than you” thinking isn’t coming from the elite athletes of the group.

One of the things that was definitely shown was Olivia’s low self esteem. She’d worked all her life to succeed as a Olympic level skater, and until this year, hadn’t been in a regular school to permit her to train full time. When things started getting hard for her, and her training was no longer going to be paid for, she kind of gave up. She gets focused on the wrong things like how her body is curvier and slightly heavier, and has a weird relationship with food to try and fit into her old costumes or get back to where she was as a skater. The thing is that it’s only when she stops thinking so hard about her body, how bad she did in her last competitions, and focusing so much on nailing those jumps she was known for is she able to perform properly. It’s basic sports psychology. Add in the negative thoughts of her parents and the Skate America judges about her lack of ability and that it’s too late to reach for her dream, and it’s a recipe for disaster. It’s only when Olivia can get over these things and push through how hard it’s going to be for her going forward that she has a real chance of achieving her dreams.

In a previous review, the writer complained that some sensitive issues weren’t handled well and that, for example, the lockdown situation at their school was just a was for the author to let Jonah say he loved Olivia for the first time. I disagree. Maybe listening to the audiobook and hearing Caitlin Kelly’s voice affected my feelings because, truth be told, I had literal chills at this point. However, beyond that once the situation was resolved, it became clear that there was no weapon in the intruder’s possession and the school offered counselling for anyone who needed it. To me, the biggest reason it was included was to show the huge difference in Jonah’s and Olivia’s support network. Whereas Jonah received text messages from his parents immediately, while they were still in lockdown and his father came and allowed Jonah to cry on his shoulder once it was resolved and they were let out of school, Olivia’s parents not only didn’t contact her, but also failed to respond to her text messages to them for hours. Her mother didn’t know about the lockdown till the next day, and her father didn’t contact her for hours. Moreover, her mother didn’t come to pick her up, and she had to find a way to get to the rink on her own. If it wasn’t for Mac, she wouldn’t have had anyone to really comfort her during a time of crisis, and this also was just a repeat of the way her parents weren’t there for her at any step once she started struggling with her skating.

Sometimes Olivia is immature without a doubt, but when she yells at her mom at one point to figure out whether her mom wants her to be the child or adult, there’s a reason that the author says “she sounds just like a five year old.” Olivia is flawed for sure. She has outbursts that are basically juvenile tantrums, and she gets jealous over boyfriend’s talent when she isn’t sure that she has what it takes. She’s not perfect, but honestly, neither is Jonah. He lies to his parents, sneaks around, yells at his parents, and sometimes says terrible things to Olivia, like “I didn’t think you were that good.” Yes, he apologized immediately for the last bit, but still it kind of sucked. And yet, I didn’t see criticism of his maturity level anywhere on Goodreads, so I tend to think it’s because we put female characters at a higher, unfair standard, even a lot of other women. Plus, let’s be honest, Jonah has great parents and Olivia’s basically leave her to fend for herself and to worry about the growing pile of last due bills without ever talking to her about it or reassuring her. If anyone has reason to yell at her parents, it’s her.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the next instalment in the series to see how the rink fairs after the changes they’ve made, how Jonah and Olivia’s skating careers continue, and how their romance blooms and grows. Perfect for fans of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park, and Julie Cross’ Juniper Falls series. ...more

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Jun 02, 2020 Tressa (Wishful Endings) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-mar, ya-contemporary, ya

3.5 Stars

EVERY REASON WE SHOULDN'T is a story about a girl who crashed and burned in her last ice skating couples' competition and is figuring out what her life should look like. It's about a talented speed skater who begins training at her rink and the possibility of romance. It's about friendship and family, but mostly about second chances and finding the nerve to save something important. Recommended to contemporary YA fans, especially those who enjoy stories about athletes.

Olivia was a great 3.5 Stars

EVERY REASON WE SHOULDN'T is a story about a girl who crashed and burned in her last ice skating couples' competition and is figuring out what her life should look like. It's about a talented speed skater who begins training at her rink and the possibility of romance. It's about friendship and family, but mostly about second chances and finding the nerve to save something important. Recommended to contemporary YA fans, especially those who enjoy stories about athletes.

Olivia was a great character from the start! She was easy to connect with and cheer on as she tried to figure out who she was and if she was really washed up or if she had more in her. She also brought all the feels as she dealt with a tough family situation, competing for herself, and finding first love. Jonah was adorable and inspiring. He had talent and a good work ethic while also trying to figure out what "normal" looked like. Mack was this crazy mix of young mother, responsible employee, surrogate mom, and wild woman with her roller derby aspirations. It was a bit of a mess, honestly, as Olivia and Jonah got to know each other. At one point I actually didn't like Jonah for Olivia and was even upset at Mack... but it all worked out. Then there was the fun and crazy group of school friends and both Olivia's and Jonah's families with all their own issues and drama, that added to the story.

There was a lot of romance in this story (some of it swoon-worthy), but what I really liked was that it was about so much more than that. It was about Olivia finding her inner strength to push through pain, to give it her all, and to believe in herself when no one else would. It was also about an ice skating rink that was its own home for the family it brought together of owners, employees, serious skaters, and those who skated for fun. It was also about dreams and sometimes letting go.

There were a couple of things that didn't work for me or needed a bit more development. I wasn't quite sure about a couple 15-year-olds hanging out with some college-aged friends. Some parts didn't always feel realistic and felt over dramatized. I think some things would have worked better for me if some of the characters would have been older and maybe if some of them weren't always competing against each other.

In the end, was it what I wished for? I enjoyed reading this story. It was entertaining with some serious feels in places, and characters who I could cheer on. I'm curious to see where book two will lead.

Content: Some swearing (including the s-word), some innuendo and heavy making out.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through the Fantastic Flying Book Club, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own. ...more

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Jun 07, 2020 Lyn added it

Shelves: 2020-reading-challenge, netgalley-read

Olivia’s parents own a skating rink where she spends most of her time. She used to be a figure skater until something happened to end her career. Enter Jonah Choi, skating prodigy who starts training at the rink. Sparks fly as they clash.

The synopsis gives the impression of a rivalry, an opposites attract vibe between Olivia and Jonah but I didn’t see it. Even the title hinted at it but it was missing from the story. Their first meeting was a volley of barbs but after that the relationship did a ...more

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Jun 30, 2020 Sara (A Gingerly Review) rated it did not like it

Shelves: audio-book-2020, dnf, 2020

DNF @ 10%. This was so juvenile it was painful. The MC was just a spoiled bitch and had no redeeming qualities. I'm not putting anymore time into it. ...more

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Feb 02, 2021 Nanci rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, ya-realistic-fiction, read-in-2021

4.5 from me. I loved this super cute realistic fiction romance. This shows us some of the tough choices and sacrifices talented athletes have to make in order for dreams to come true. Some of the tough choices parents have to make and the line between pushing, encouraging, and wanting kids to be their best. I'm a parent. It's tough to know where the line is drawn. What is not enough? What is too much? Who gets to make those choices and when does the responsibility shift? What does it take to be ...more

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Dec 07, 2019 Dany rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-reads, diverse-contemporary, 4-stars

"No regrets?”
“No regrets"

Every Reason We Shouldn't features my auto add to tbr tropes
🌟Asian Rep
🌟 Controlling parents
🌟High school drama
🌟Not fitting in

RTC

I thank NetGalley and MacMillan for approving my request for this e-ARC. Thjs hasn't affected my opinions . ...more

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Mar 03, 2020 Becky rated it liked it

3.5 stars

This is a story which follows Olivia, a 15 year old figure skater who tries to adapt to life as a "normal" teenager after a disastrous performance puts her future as a proffesional in doubt. When dedicated speed skater Jonah Choi comes to Ice Dreams, her family's rink, a romance blossoms and both realise there may be more to life than just skating.

A few things I liked about this book:

- First off, I have an unending love for sports romances. This is widely documented. This kind of book 3.5 stars

This is a story which follows Olivia, a 15 year old figure skater who tries to adapt to life as a "normal" teenager after a disastrous performance puts her future as a proffesional in doubt. When dedicated speed skater Jonah Choi comes to Ice Dreams, her family's rink, a romance blossoms and both realise there may be more to life than just skating.

A few things I liked about this book:

- First off, I have an unending love for sports romances. This is widely documented. This kind of book automatically appeals to me
- Olivia is fiercely determined to be the best in her field. When people tell her she isn't good enough, she tells them she is and tries even harder to prove that to everyone, herself incuded.
- Despite wanting to try and achieve some kind of 'normal' teen life, neither Jonah nor Olivia let their romance obstruct their skating goals - yes, there are some hurt feelings ocassionally, but for the most part they both understand that their career comes first and that sometimes, that sucks.
- Mack. I adore everything about her. A young Mum recieving very little help from the child's father - financially or otherwise, who still has ambitions of her own and doesn't let the hard parts of life get her down. She acts as a mother figure to Olivia despite only being a few years older. I just love her. She's precious and deserves the world.
- Good representation in terms of race and culture.

Things I had issue with or wasnt very fond of:

- Olivia's treatment of her 'normal' friends. On multiple occasions she blew off plans with them either for Jonah or for skating or Egg or whatever.
- Olivia and Jonah's elitist attitude - they constantly referred to their friends as 'normal' and acted as though they were better than them and like they 'wouldn't get it'. Her friends were nothing but kind and accepting the whole book despite Olivia being shitty to them and honestly, they deserve more credit.
- A lot of things seemed to happen that deserved some focus, but were forgotten in an instant. The school went on lockdown in one chapter and by the next, it was old news, never to be mentioned again. Surely a topic like that deserved to be unpacked at least a little given the psychological impact it had on Olivia?
- Olivia and Egg. Them being skating partners and having a brother/sister relationship was fine, but he treated her like shit and then was all nicey nicey, then abandoned a minor in a place miles from her home that she wasn't familiar with? Clearly his biggest priority wasn't her safety, despite that being their thing for the entire novel. And he faced very little repercussions for this? And the kiss? WHY? It made no sense and added nothing to the story so why not just leave it out?

Overall I actually had a good time reading it, and I'm definitely interested in picking up a sequel. ...more

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Dec 18, 2019 Kate McMurry rated it really liked it

Shelves: multicultural, sports-romance, girl-power, ice-skating

Exciting, PG, multicultural, YA, sports romance

Olivia Kennedy is the almost-sixteen, biracial daughter of a Japanese-American mother and Euro-American father who are world famous for winning Olympic gold as a fabulously talented figure-skating team. Olivia had figure-skating, Olympic dreams as well, and trained since early childhood toward that lofty goal, until a humiliating failure at a major competition the previous year convinced her that her Olympic potential is gone. Since then, she has co ...more

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May 31, 2020 Michelle rated it really liked it

Shelves: got-for-review, kindle, review-on-blog

3.5/5 stars

Every Reason We Shouldn’t is a young adult contemporary romance by auhor Sara Fujimura. Every Reason We Shouldn’t is a skating romance that felt different than previous skating romances that I have read in the past. In the past, the books centered around skating focused on one kind. Either hockey, or figure skating mostly. But Every Reason We Shouldn’t centers around a skating rink and the people that own and use it. The cool part of Every Reason We Shouldn’t is that so many differen 3.5/5 stars

Every Reason We Shouldn’t is a young adult contemporary romance by auhor Sara Fujimura. Every Reason We Shouldn’t is a skating romance that felt different than previous skating romances that I have read in the past. In the past, the books centered around skating focused on one kind. Either hockey, or figure skating mostly. But Every Reason We Shouldn’t centers around a skating rink and the people that own and use it. The cool part of Every Reason We Shouldn’t is that so many different kinds of skating are showcased.

Our main character Olivia was a once semi-famous pairs skater that had hopes of an Olympic Gold, but instead found herself (maybe?) washed up at the young age of 15. Jonah is a speed skater that shows great promise, and has tons of Gold medals from various competitions to show for his hard work and dedication. And Olivia’s best friend, and Ice rink co-worker Mack is a roller derby girl. Though this story is mainly centered on Olivia and Jonah’s romance, there is plenty of spotlight for the whole cast of characters, which I loved. Mack is my favorite by far. She is smart, a hard worker, hilarious and a wonderful friend to Olivia. I am really hoping that she gets her story told in the next book.

Olivia is a young main character, and because she is younger than most young adult heroines at just 15 vs. 17 or 18, I think she was very age appropriate. She had a different than most upbringing. She was homeschooled secondarily to her primary goal of figure skating. After one too many disastrous performances at a senior level, she is taking a break from professional skating at the start of our story. She is grappling with the idea of trying to adjust to life as a normal teenager, all the while asking herself the question, “is she really a has been skater at just 15?” I felt for Olivia. I can’t relate to her skating talent, but having to deal with normal teenage desires like fitting in at school and with your friends, and also juggling not so normal desires, like should she get back into the world of competitive figure or pairs skating? And if so, does she have what it takes to make it?

In the middle of this internal struggle, speed skating hotshot Jonah shows up at her parents Ice Rink and a really adorable romance ensues. I loved watching them bond of skating, and even watching them skate together. I loved the whole cast of characters, including Jonah’s parents. I thought they were what parents should be like. I was most disappointed in Olivia’s mom. I thought she could have been a whole lot more supportive of Olivia overall. Jonah and Olivia were supr sweet. I enjoyed watching them bond and watching their romance bloom. They got each other in a way that most other kids couldn’t relate. Skating is such a huge part of each of their lives that it makes up a big chunk of who they are.

Overall, I really enjoyed Every Reason We Shouldn’t. It was a really cute ice skating romance that felt different than the previous Ice Skating books I have read in the past .

3.5/5 ...more

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Feb 29, 2020 Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks) marked it as dnf

Shelves: most-anticipated, young-adult, net-galley

dnfed @ 25%

*I received this book from the publisher through Net Galley for an honest review. This does not affect my opinions.

I got 25% into this title and I couldn't continue any further. The main character was very selfish and I was very confused while reading.

The friendship between Mack and Olivia seemed very unlikely! Mack is 20 years old, Olivia is 15. I don't know how common it is for a 20 year old to befriend a 15 year old and become invested in her life. I did like that Mack is a derb dnfed @ 25%

*I received this book from the publisher through Net Galley for an honest review. This does not affect my opinions.

I got 25% into this title and I couldn't continue any further. The main character was very selfish and I was very confused while reading.

The friendship between Mack and Olivia seemed very unlikely! Mack is 20 years old, Olivia is 15. I don't know how common it is for a 20 year old to befriend a 15 year old and become invested in her life. I did like that Mack is a derby girl. That was really interesting and not something I know a lot about.

For about 20% of the book, I thought Fiona was Mack's dog, but 25% in, I realized she's a teen mother which would make more sense to why she had diapers in her car. This was very confusing to me because the friendship just felt very unlikely. A 15-year old and a 20-year old mom being friends? Not something I would say is realistic.

Also, the fact that Olivia's secret to not skating anymore was because of a bad performance? That felt like a less unique reason to why she will never skate again. Last, the excessive use of teenage slang was brutal. I really couldn't imagine teens saying "He must have Ebola", 'guyliner' and 'awko-taco'. There's so much cringe in this and it felt like the author has never actually talked to a teen.

I appreciated the bi-racial representation as well. But, I couldn't get past the writing to save my life and Olivia was a bratty teen. I would've liked to see Olivia's hardships as she had to care for her mother and felt like she wasn't being taken care of by her own mother, but to read her complain about how taking her mother to PT and seeing her mother break down in tears in front of her just to have Olivia say, "I really wish my mom was healthy enough so she could take care of me for a change" made me furious.

There's also a scene about how Olivia's bruises would get so bad from falling on the ice that CPS would come to her house? Excuse me??

This book had potiential, I just feel that it needs a lot of work. I'm bummed because I was really anticipating this and the concept of ice skating was interesting to me. ...more

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Sep 06, 2020 ᴀʙɪ☽ rated it liked it

Shelves: ehh, contemporary, sports-romance

*2.75

This was a book I anticapated reading a lot this year, but overall it was pretty middle of the road for me. The romance was pretty instalovey, and I didn't really like the some of the character relationships and friendships in here, and the problems in the relationships weren't really resolved in the end. And the ending was TOO perfect if that makes sense. Their is supposed to be a sequel coming out next year so I may read that, but based on the ending here, the questions I wanted answered ...more

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Mar 18, 2020 Laura rated it liked it

I was drawn to this book because of the skating. I really did enjoy the concept of the book. It is fun and playful. I felt like the main character Olivia was a bit immature and I felt like a few of the main topics that were really important got played down in the end.
Olivia is a 15 year old girl who loves to skate and has been skating since she was very young. Her parents were skaters before she was born and they own an ice rink which is barely holding on by a thread, then comes in speed skater ...more

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Jan 28, 2020 Samantha (WLABB) rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, contemporary, arcs, romance, diverse

Olivia thought she had come to terms with the end of her Olympic dreams, but a new fire was lit, when inspiring speed skater, Jonah, began training at her parent's rink. As she attempted to reclaim her place in the skating world, her world outside began to crumble, but would this mark the end of her skating comeback?

• Pro: In this kind of story, I needed to be able to root for someone, and I found myself sort of rooting for EVERYONE! Olivia, Jonah, Mack, mom, dad, the business -- I wanted everyo Olivia thought she had come to terms with the end of her Olympic dreams, but a new fire was lit, when inspiring speed skater, Jonah, began training at her parent's rink. As she attempted to reclaim her place in the skating world, her world outside began to crumble, but would this mark the end of her skating comeback?

• Pro: In this kind of story, I needed to be able to root for someone, and I found myself sort of rooting for EVERYONE! Olivia, Jonah, Mack, mom, dad, the business -- I wanted everyone and everything to succeed, and Fujimura did a nice job cycling me through an array of emotions as I awaited all the individual outcomes.

• Pro: I couldn't imagine going from being at the top of my sport to believing I was washed-up at 15. I easily sympathized with Olivia's adjustment to "normal teen life", but I never stopped hoping she would stop moping and mount her comeback.

• Pro: I adored Jonah. He was so focused on his goals. His discipline was admirable, however, I won't say I was sad, when a certain young woman became both a motivation and distraction for him. This let me see his sweet and swoony side, and it was something I was glad I had the opportunity to get acquainted with.

• Pro: Mack was everything you want and need in a best friend. At first, I saw her as the comic relief, but she was so much more than that, and I was so happy that Fujimara gave Mack her own story arc. Believe me, when I say that the Kennedys struck gold the day this young woman walked into their rink.

• Pro: Olivia was still adjusting to life outside the skating world, and she had little support from her parents, as her father was physically absent, and her mother, emotionally absent. My worry was allayed once I met Mack, Jonah, Egg, and even the lunch bunch, who were there to give Olivia much needed pushes, hugs, and encouragement.

• Pro: The romance between Jonah and Olivia was so sweet, adorable, and awkward. I shipped them hard from their first standoff, and was so happy with the way it all played out.

Overall: I loved the time I spent at the rink getting to know Olivia, Jonah, and everyone else in their world, and throughly enjoyed their journey as they reached for their dreams.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS ...more

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Nov 02, 2019 Sarah Salisbury rated it really liked it

I'm pretty sure this book marks only the second time I've been THIS excited to get an ARC. (Like, seriously, the last and only other time was when a publisher granted my NetGalley wish to read "Tweet Cute". Worth it.) "Every Reason We Shouldn't" went on my TBR the moment I stumbled across it on GoodReads - at the time, it was so far out it didn't even have a cover yet - so when I saw that it was available on NetGalley, you better believe I smashed that "request" button. And I got it! Why was I s ...more

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Aug 09, 2020 Mesho 👾 rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Was an interesting read, i'm not sure if i love it or hate it.
so this book was YA/Contemporary and sport. full of ice skating, it gave ma a feel of *Yuri on ice! (anime ) * the feels.
i like the romance it was light and not the main focus of the plot.
it was action packed.It felt a little too much at times.
i love Mac shes so cool, the main character is a bit of a brat,however shes a teen hehe so its understandable . The parents are very odd.
i might still read book 2 i'm still curious to see how ...more

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May 14, 2020 Regina rated it liked it

Shelves: 2k20-reads, audiobooks

3.5 stars

This was enjoyable. I just wasn't as invested in the story or loved any of the characters.saying that, Mac is probably the only character I truly adored. Olivia's parent's were such disappointing parents.

It was cute and readable. The audiobook was good too. ...more

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Jun 22, 2020 Rebecca rated it liked it

Shelves: diverse, bipoc-authors, ownvoices, ya, disability-rep, realistic-fic, bipoc-rep, contemporary, giveaways, romance

3 ½ stars

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Jan 05, 2020 Leah rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya, read-2020, arcs

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Eh.

I'm a bit of a skating media lover (though not an expert by any means!) so I was looking forward to this, but something between the individual elements and the combination of it all didn't altogether work for me. I found Olivia to be a confusing MC: on the one hand fairly average and relatable, dealing with parental issues and falling in love for the first time, but on the other having a pretty big chip on her shoulder based on her perception of herself as a #1 skating star who none of her "n Eh.

I'm a bit of a skating media lover (though not an expert by any means!) so I was looking forward to this, but something between the individual elements and the combination of it all didn't altogether work for me. I found Olivia to be a confusing MC: on the one hand fairly average and relatable, dealing with parental issues and falling in love for the first time, but on the other having a pretty big chip on her shoulder based on her perception of herself as a #1 skating star who none of her "normal" friends could possibly understand. This was especially hard to swallow because the narrative was pretty back and forth on how talented and/or devoted Olivia actually is to skating. As she gave her impassioned speeches at the end about the importance of having a rink which focuses on the love of skating, I tried to remember if I ever felt that she had a passion for the sport itself - it seemed like she was more focused on the reputation and winning aspects of it, the cachet of being an Olympian.

(Like I said, not an expert, but it seems to me that there's a certain amount of arrogance to believing yourself Olympic-worthy or even potentially Olympic-worthy after taking a big chunk of time off from practicing your sport much less competing.)

Jonah's through line in relation to his sport was much clearer. I appreciated how Apolo Ohno was mentioned as inspirational to him as it's the kind of thing a fan/participant in a less well-known sport would latch onto (and, also being of mixed Asian heritage, the invocation thereof particularly touched on the importance of having exemplars in your field of interest) and I was grateful that the book didn't try to steer him away from his own path to partner with Olivia (and in fact explicitly called out how unlikely and unhelpful it would be). I wasn't, however, overly impressed with him as a love interest. I guess I found him too realistic in some ways rather than the typical rom-com/YA fluff boyfriends. Coming back from competition and doing a reveal of his medals seemed sort of a self-important teen boy move rather than a cute one, and the way he seemed to appreciate Olivia's understanding regarding his own drive and obligations but was unenthusiastic/dubious/unsupportive of her own talents had me side-eyeing. Also, the fact that Olivia was already gunning for him when he was still saying stuff like "slow carbs are crap" at least once a chapter...to each their own, I guess.

As for the supporting characters, I thought Mack was clearly the standout, someone with her own plotline and issues (honestly, more "not going to college/plan B" YA stories - as college admissions get only more competitive and stress inducing, showing interesting, smart, well-rounded characters whose lives don't end with a Stanford rejection is valuable) but whose loyalty to Olivia was lowkey baffling. Stuart/Egg was also interesting along similar lines. As for the school friends, I felt like they existed more for conflict/contrast than to actually be characters of their own. (And the "his girlfriend, Naomi" thing in the epilogue was...not smooth.)

I know other reviewers felt this way in regards to the lockdown scene, that it was only included for brief drama and wasn't given the long-term emotional weight it deserved. I read the book this afternoon and had forgotten that it even happened by the time I was starting to write this review so take from that what you will.

The ending didn't overly impress me from a realism standpoint, but I suppose that it wasn't really that type of book; a sort of magical fix of a seemingly impossible situation is probably a fairly fitting ending.

Maybe recommend to readers looking for light fiction, and who focus on story rather than character or language.

ETA: I went to look the author up to see if she was a Phoenix native herself (I've never been to the city, and was thinking about the description of the school as fairly lacking in Asian students and wondering if she spoke from personal experience) and found that she describes herself on her website as "the American half of our Japanese-American family." As a white person who is married into a Japanese family, who has biracial/bicultural children, and who spends time in Japan, she's almost certainly more knowledgeable than my single white/Jewish self, and I'm hopeful that the cultural references are accurate, but it seems to me that her not being Asian herself makes her talk of over-bearing Asian parents in particular...a little iffier. ...more

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